BROADENING THE FRAMEWORK OF PARTICIPATORY IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT: FROM EFFICIENCY TO SUSTAINABILITY AND EQUITY

Though Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) – both in terms of policy support and practice on the ground – gained currency in India in the 90s, the early articulations about user participation in irrigation management can be traced way back to the 1930s. The Irrigation Enquiry Committee headed by Sir Vishvesaraya in 1938, which went into the causes of under utilisation of irrigation water in Maharashtra, a central-western state in India, did recommend, amongst other things, the formation of users’ groups to improve the utilisation of impounded water (Lele and Patil 1994)2. In terms of official talk and policy support, the Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-85), the Guidelines issued in 1985 by the Command Area Development Programme under the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, the National Water Policy of 1987, and the Irrigation Pricing Committee (1992) headed by A. Vaidyanathan all talk about the need for farmer participation in irrigation management as a way out for the crisis in the irrigation sector in India. Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) took the lead in setting up pilot projects, especially in the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, in the late 80s and early 90s. PIM in India got further fillip when the Planning Commission of India set up a Working Group on PIM for the Ninth Five Year Plan (1995–2000). As of today, PIM has gained roots in many states in India and about six to seven states have already enacted legislations that make PIM a statutory requirement to get access to irrigation water and many of the other states are also contemplating enactment of similar legislations.